Asylum Seekers: Mental Health

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many detained asylum seekers have been assessed as having mental health illnesses since 2000.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Asylum Seekers: Self-harm

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many asylum seekers have attempted self-harm since 2003; and how many have been put on self-harm watch over the same period.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Anyone who attempts self-harm while in immigration detention is automatically placed on a "formal self-harm at risk" (SHARF) watch. For the period 1/4/04 to 31/3/05, 858 detainees were placed on these arrangements. For the period 1/4/05 to 31/3/06, the figure was 1,806 detainees. Earlier figures are not available.

Community Infrastructure Fund

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much of the Community Infrastructure Fund has been allocated to: road, rail, light rail, bus, cycling and walking schemes.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Allocations from the Community Infrastructure Fund have been made across the transport modes as follows (figures rounded to the nearest £ million).
	
		
			  
			 Road schemes £82 million 
			 Rail schemes £42 million 
			 Light rail schemes £7 million 
			 Bus schemes £59 million 
			 Cycling and walking £3 million 
			 Total £193 million

Consultants: Home Office

Lord Smith of Clifton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How much was spent in each year on external management consultants by the Home Office and its agencies from 2000 to 2005.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Following the NAO report Purchasing Professional Services OGC issued guidance that redefined consultancy to include the purchasing of all professional services and not just management consultancy. Professional services were defined as including: management consultancy, IS/IT consultancy, financial/accounting consultancy, property and construction consultancy (including architects and surveyors), project management, procurement, audit, legal services and human resource advice and assistance (including recruitment services).
	Separate information on management consultancy is not held. The information held by the Home Office and its executive agencies on its spend on consultants, which falls under the above definition; is as follows.
	
		
			  
			 2000–01 £31,196,722 
			 2001–02 £24,840,593 
			 2002–03 Not held 
			 2003–04 £113,875,847 
			 2004–05 £59,828,639 
		
	
	We do not hold information on the department's total expenditure on consultants for 2002–03 and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	The best information available for the financial year 2003–04, using the business and accounting strategic system (BASS) for the core Home Office spend, indicates that the cost of external consultants to the department and its executive agencies in 2003–04 was £113,875,847.
	The best information available for the financial year 2004–05, using the Adelphi enterprise resource planning (ERP) system accounts payable module for the core Home Office spend, indicates that the cost of external consultants to the department and its executive agencies was £59,828,639.
	The department awards contracts in open competition according to the EU procurement regulations based on best value for money. The use of external consultants in the Home Office provides the department with specialist knowledge, skill, capacity and technical expertise that is not otherwise available in-house.

DNA Database

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many people under the age of 18 who appear on the national DNA database have never been cautioned, charged or convicted of a criminal offence.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: At 1 December 2005 there were 24,168 people who were under 18 represented on the national DNA database who had been arrested and sampled but not subsequently charged, cautioned or convicted for the offence for which they were sampled. While it is not currently possible to indicate whether these people have ever been cautioned, charged or convicted previously, 541 have subsequently matched to crimes represented on the National DNA Database, providing the police with key intelligence leads on the possible identity of the offender and assisting crime investigation and detection. The data used for this reply was taken from a "snapshot" of Police National Computer records and is not held by the National DNA Database. It has not been updated since December 2005 and a new set could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Home Office officials are working with colleagues in the Police Information and Technology Organisation (PITO) which is responsible for PNC and with police service staff to develop a process to routinely report this and other statistical information that is held on either NDNAD or PNC. This work is under way and I will write to the noble Baroness as soon as the work has been completed.

EU: Driving Licences

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What were the reasons for their announcement that they intended to abstain in any vote on the introduction of European driving licences at the Transport Council on 27 March.

Lord Davies of Oldham: We announced our intention to abstain because we are disappointed that it has been impossible to secure amendments to achieve better and more flexible arrangements for staged access by young motorcycle riders to the larger machines.
	Despite clear consensus in Europe in favour of staged access for young motorcyclists to the larger machines, the Government have consistently sought amendment to these particular proposals. After full consideration of all aspects, the Government did not believe that they could support measures so complex and rigid as those proposed without evidence that they would lead to improvements in road safety.
	We believe that our present practice on licensing motorcycle riders, which insists on compulsory basic training and testing for all, is effective. We shall seek to work with motorcycle and road safety interests to devise as good as possible a way of retaining its benefits within the new EU framework.
	The Government abstained from the vote, rather than voting in opposition, because they welcome most of the rest of the agreed text.

Firearms: Consultation

The Earl of Lindsay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When the two-tier firearms advisory committee will be established; and
	Why there has been a delay in establishing the firearms advisory committee; and
	When the first meeting of the firearms advisory committee will take place; and
	When the response to the Home Office 2004 consultation paper, Controls on Firearms, will be published; and
	When the last meeting of the Firearms Consultative Committee took place.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We received a very large response to the consultation: around 4,500 submissions. They have all been read and analysed and a summary is being prepared which will be published in due course. We will consider how and when to establish the firearms advisory committee once we have determined how we want to proceed with the review of firearms controls. The last meeting of the Firearms Consultative Committee was held on 14 January 2004.

Food: GM

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have examined scientific studies from the Russia Federation and New Zealand on allergies in rats and mice following consumption of genetically modified soya and peas respectively; and whether they will bring the studies to the attention of relevant bodies and encourage further research.

Lord Warner: The Food Standards Agency has sought advice from the Advisory Committee on Novel Food and Processes (ACNFP) regarding what conclusions may be drawn from the results of a preliminary study conducted in Russia on the offspring of rats given flour from genetically modified soya beans. The ACNFP is the committee of scientific experts that advises the agency on genetically modified food and similar issues. The committee discussed this study on 24 November 2005 and issued a statement that is published on the ACNFP website along with the minutes of the meeting.
	At the same meeting, the agency also sought advice from the ACNFP on a paper published by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation in Australia, which describes immunological effects in mice fed peas that were genetically modified to contain a bean protein. The committee's comments on this study can also be found in the minutes of the meeting.
	The ACNFP's advice does not indicate that either of these studies have any implications for the safety of authorised GM foods, which undergo a strict case-by-case safety assessment before they can be marketed.

Immigration: Domestic Workers

The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will review the position of migrant domestic workers under the proposed managed migration policy; and how they will ensure that they receive protection from abuse.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: There will be no specific provision for overseas domestic workers in private households under the points-based system. Most domestic workers are low-skilled and it is the Government's policy to phase out low-skilled migration in response to the numbers of workers available from the newly enlarged EU. Tier three of the points-based system may provide for limited numbers of low-skilled workers to fill specific temporary labour shortages, but only where these are identified by the Skills Advisory Body. We will continue to make every effort to protect migrant workers in general from abuse and exploitation while they are in the UK.

Immigration: Reception and Detention Centres

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements are in place to tackle and eliminate alleged racist behaviour on the part of staff, especially detention guards, at reception and detention centres.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Every report or allegation of racism or any inappropriate treatment against detainees is reported to the contract monitor and an investigation into each incident will take place. A comprehensive complaints system is in place at all centres, and detainees also have the provision to raise complaints both anonymously or in person and in confidence to the independent monitoring boards who can raise complaints on behalf of detainees. Race relations training forms an integral part of the initial training course for new detention custody officers and refresher training is given annually. There are also management development courses that cover leadership, feedback and effective supervision of staff.

Immigration: Yarl's Wood

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their response to each of the recommendations by the Children's Commissioner in his report on Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We responded, in February 2006, to each of the recommendations made by the Children's Commissioner in his report of his visit to Yarl's Wood. A copy of our response has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

NHS: Palliative Care

Lord Hayhoe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many palliative care consultants are in post in the National Health Service in England and Wales; and how many vacancies there are currently for such consultants.

Lord Warner: The most recent published figures for staff numbers of consultant specialists in palliative medicine in England are from the June 2005 medical and dental workforce mini-census. At this time, there was a headcount of 195 and a full time equivalent figure of 161 for this staff group.
	The most recent vacancy data we have are from the 2005 medical and dental vacancy survey, which is based on three-month vacancy figures as at 31 March 2005. This shows a vacancy rate of 11.2 per cent or 21 posts for England. Information relating to Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly.

Passports

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What conditions must be satisfied to entitle a British citizen to be issued with a British passport.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Passports are issued in the United Kingdom at the discretion of my right honourable friend the Home Secretary, and by my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary in overseas posts, both exercising the Royal Prerogative. In practice, passports are issued when the Secretary of State is satisfied as to the identity and British nationality of applicants, in accordance with legislation, except in certain well defined categories, of which Parliament has been informed from time to time. These are: (i) a minor whose journey was known to be contrary to: a court order; the wishes of a parent or other person or authority in whose favour a residence or care order had been made or who had been awarded custody; care and control; or the provisions of Section 25(1) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 as amended by Section 42 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1963, or Section 56 of the Adoption Act 1976, as amended by the Children Act 1989; (ii) a person for whose arrest a warrant had been issued in the United Kingdom, or a person who was wanted by the United Kingdom police on suspicion of a serious crime; (iii) in very rare cases, a person whose past or proposed activities were so demonstrably undesirable that the grant or continued enjoyment of passport facilities would be contrary to the public interest; and (iv) a person repatriated from abroad at public expense until the debt has been repaid. In addition, the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 makes provision for the Crown Courts to impose travel restriction orders on certain drug trafficking offenders and to confiscate the passports of those who are British Nationals for the period of the travel ban. The courts provide details to the UK Passport Service of those subject to a travel restriction order and any passport application will be refused as long as the order is in force. Applications from individuals in respect of whom a court had notified the UK Passport Service that foreign travel was prohibited as a condition of bail would also be refused.

Pensions

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to allow members of the public to communicate with the Pensions Service by e-mail.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The facility is already in place for customers to communicate with the Pension Service by e-mail via the Pension Service website (www.thepensionservice.gov.uk).
	The customer charter provides information on how customers can contact the Pension Service by e-mail and through other methods of communication.

Pensions: Pension Credit

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is their estimate, on the latest figures available, of the percentage of all pensioner households which are eligible to claim pension credit.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The latest figures relate to 2003–04. As pension credit was introduced only half way through that year, estimates should be treated with caution as they are based on only six months of data. It is estimated that between 44 and 51 per cent of pensioner households are eligible to claim pension credit in 2003–04.
	Notes:
	1. Estimates are given as ranges in order to account for possible biases inherent in estimates from data that are less than perfect. They also take account of the effects of sampling variation.
	2. Estimates cover all those aged 60 and over in the private household population of Great Britain. The data source is the Family Resources Survey 2003–04.
	3. For the purposes of this analysis, a pensioner household is defined as either a single person aged at least 60 years old or, if a couple, both will be termed pensioners if one is aged at least 60 years old. This is consistent with both the definition used in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up" publications, and with the fact any individual aged 60 or over is entitled to pension credit.

Police: Reorganisation

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What the set-up costs of a strategic police force for Wales will be; and how they propose that it will be funded.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The estimated set-up cost of a strategic police force for Wales is £35 million. Long-term savings made possible by the merger are currently estimated at around £16 million a year. We will pay 100 per cent of reasonable set up revenue and capital costs, net of reasonable savings. The precise projected level of these costs and savings is a matter for negotiation, which is currently taking place.

Police: Reorganisation

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the estimated cost of each proposed police merger in England and Wales.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The available information of current assessments is set out in the table.
	
		
			 Amalgamations Estimated Set up Costs£ million Estimated Savingsper annum 1£ million 
			 West Midlands 51 26 
			 East Midlands 77 16 
			 Surrey & Sussex 27 15 
			 Eastern South 29 10 
			 Eastern North 29 9 
			 North East 46 16 
			 North West   
			 Merseyside & Cheshire 36 12 
			 North West   
			 Lancashire & Cumbria 22 7 
			 Yorkshire & Humberside 39 18 
			 England 356 129 
			 Wales 35 16 
			 Grand Total2 391 145 
		
	
	1 Annual savings when restructuring is fully in place.
	2 Calculation of costs and savings in South West are in progress.

Political Parties: Funding

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock: asked the Chairman of Committees:
	What was the total amount of financial assistance for opposition parties (Cranborne money) paid to: (a) the Conservative Party; (b) the Liberal Democrat Party; and (c) the Convenor of the Cross-Bench Peers in each of the past five years; and, in each case, how much of that money was paid for staff salaries; whether any of the staff concerned were, or had been, Members of the House of Lords; how many of those staff worked in the headquarters of the party concerned; how many were registered as secretaries or research assistants in the House of Lords; and to which Members they were registered.

Lord Brabazon of Tara: The total amounts paid, and the amounts certified as paid to secretarial and research staff and to Members respectively, are set out below.
	The House does not hold any other information about staff salaries or payments to Members including the identities of individuals who may be paid under the scheme.
	
		Financial Assistance to Opposition Parties—Amounts paid by the House of Lords
		
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 (unaudited) 
			 Total Paid £ £ £ £ £ 
			 Official Opposition 226,552 390,210 343,873 358,353 426,236 
			 Liberal Democrats 68,278 194,998 201,045 206,272 212,863 
			 Cross-Benchers 20,981 29,322 35,896 37,023 38,208 
		
	
	Of which:
	
		
			 Secretarial and Research Staff Salaries £ £ £ £ £ 
			 Official Opposition 219,988 343,553 285,850 294,882 374,460 
			 Liberal Democrats 68,278 158,868 197,589 190,292 155,749 
			 Cross-Benchers 20,360 28,110 35,580 36,631 37,196 
		
	
	
		
			 Payments to Members £ £ £ £ £ 
			 Official Opposition Details 30,017 44,868 46,765 42,948 
			 Liberal Democrats not 30,000 3,316 15,980 57,030 
			 Cross-Benchers available Nil Nil Nil Nil

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many prisoners at present serving custodial sentences have been recommended for deportation after their release.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Information on the number of prisoners currently serving custodial sentences who have been recommended for deportation following their release is unavailable. However, the latest available court sentencing figures suggest that, in 2004, 850 people were recommended for deportation following a custodial sentence.

Prisoners: Reoffending

Lord Donoughue: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many offences of (a) murder; (b) physical assault; (c) sexual assault; and (d) armed robbery have been committed by individuals on remand or early release from prison since 1 January 2000.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The data are not available in the form requested. The most relevant related published information is available in Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003 (RDS NOMS publication 15/04), Table 11.2, "Prisoners reconvicted within two years of discharge from prison in 2001, by principal offence for which originally convicted and principal offence on first reconviction" which can found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html.

Public Health: High-voltage Power Lines

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What assessment they have made of the paper, Childhood Cancer in Relation to Distance from High Voltage Power Lines in England and Wales: A case-control study (the Draper report); and
	What is their current assessment of the progress of the stakeholder consultation process to consider what action should be taken to reduce the exposure of the population to the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields; and
	What steps they are taking to protect children attending schools located in close proximity to high-voltage overhead power lines.

Lord Warner: The stakeholder advisory group on extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) (SAGE) is sponsored by the Department of Health with funding contributions from the charity Children with Leukaemia and National Grid plc. The aim of SAGE is,
	"to bring together stakeholders to identify and explore the implications for a precautionary approach to ELF EMF and make practical recommendations for precautionary measures".
	Its terms of reference and ways of working are described on the website www.rkpartnership.co.uk/sage. SAGE was set up in response to the National Radiological Protection Board's (now Health Protection Agency's Radiation Protection Division) advice,
	"to consider the possible need for further precautionary measures,"
	in addition to its EMF guidelines (www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/documents–of–nrpb/abstracts/absd15-2.htm). SAGE has been running since 2004 and is expected to produce its first report later this year.
	The paper by Draper and colleagues was published in June 2005. The Health Protection Agency placed a response statement on its website (www.hpa.org.uk) in which it said:
	"This large epidemiological study has found higher rates of childhood leukaemia among those born within 600 metres of a power line compared with those born further away. Rates of other types of childhood cancer are not raised. The authors of the study do not regard these findings as establishing a definite causal association between childhood leukaemia and exposures to electromagnetic fields from power lines".
	The Draper study was one of many scientific background papers informing SAGE's discussions.
	The issue of schools close to power lines is among the topics being considered by SAGE.

Railways: Franchises

Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 29 March (WA 129), why the new franchise tender document does not introduce a requirement to introduce driver-only operation (DOO) working, bearing in mind that the trains used in the south-west franchise area are equipped for DOO and the guards could be transferred to revenue protection and on board safety patrols.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Bidders for the south-west franchise have been asked to submit proposals that meet the franchise objectives, one of which is to make an improvement in resource efficiency. Bidders are expected to determine the most appropriate method for achieving these goals and, should they recommend changes to operational practices, to demonstrate that their proposal represents value for money and that the risks to implementation have been assessed.

Schools: Special Educational Needs

Baroness Greenfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they plan to act on the recommendations in the report Meeting of Minds from the Second European Citizens' Convention held in Brussels in January.

Lord Adonis: We are working to ensure that teachers have the knowledge they need to help all young people achieve their full learning potential. In order to be recommended for the award of qualified teacher status, all trainee school teachers must demonstrate understanding of a range of special educational needs and disabilities. They should also know where to seek help, including from special educational needs (SEN) co-ordinators and other services and sources. The Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) will be making recommendations shortly on possible new standards for classroom teachers at each stage of their career. These recommendations will follow extensive consultation and should reflect the five outcomes of Every Child Matters, as well as paying due attention to special educational needs.
	Special educational needs are identified as one of a number of areas for the beginning of a teacher's continuing professional development. From September 2006, the TDA will be funding a two-year project designed to enhance the specialist SEN skills of serving teachers. Initially, this will make a modular professional development course, leading to a postgraduate qualification, available to 100 teachers.

Speed Cameras: Income

Viscount Goschen: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Which 10 speed cameras in the United Kingdom generate the greatest income from motoring fines; and what is the amount generated from each of those cameras.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The department does not hold this information as income from fixed penalty notices following offences detected from speed cameras relates to the totals for safety camera partnerships and not to individual camera sites.

Working Time Regulations

Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why paragraph (2) of Regulation 20 of the Working Time Regulations 1998 has been revoked.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Under Article 17(1) of the working time directive, member states may derogate from certain limits when, on account of the specific characteristics of the activity concerned, the duration of working time is not measured and/or predetermined.
	This was transposed into Regulation 20 in 1998. There were questions from stakeholders about its practical application as very few workers, if any, perform work that is never measured or predetermined. Regulation 20(2) was an attempt to provide clarification.
	Regulation 20(2) is the subject of infraction proceedings brought by the European Commission before the European Court of Justice as wrongly depriving some workers of protection. During the course of the proceedings the European Commission has helpfully clarified that it accepts that these workers may perform some work that is measured provided that the nature of their activity as a whole is such that they decide themselves on the organisation of their working time. Consequently, it has become apparent that Regulation 20(2) is not necessary for the proper implementation of the working time directive and has been deleted.